By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
John 13:35 KJV
The Inspiration:
As is usual with Jesus, He does not make assumptions on my behalf. He would define terms of engagement for the crowd, and also define terms for the disciple. The task for all of us is to then examine our lives in the light of those terms to see where we belong. It must be noted that there is no fence here; you really can't be both part of the crowd and a disciple at the same time. Your actions, reactions and responses to whatever situation is in front of you reveal who you are and where you stand. Every seed that is put in the ground and nourished properly will bear fruit when the time is right. As it is in the physical, so is it in the spiritual; remember that in the Garden of Eden, God made reference to the seed of the woman. That seed cannot take root in the life of a person and you will not see the fruit.
The Expectation:
The proof of that seed must be revealed. The fruit must break out and be seen, felt, touched and even tasted. The bible even invites men to come and taste, and see that the Lord is good. The proof of the seed of God in me cannot be hidden or ignored; it will definitely be made manifest. When pressure comes, how do I react? When storms rise and the winds blow and threaten to destroy everything, how do I respond? When people want to provoke me to anger, sometimes for no just cause, how do I process this? It is easy to make claims that I am a disciple, but it is usually the leader and teacher whose view is most important here. He is the One who calls men to Himself, and commissions them for assignment. I can choose to heed or ignore the call, but my response will define my discipleship.
The Conclusion:
It won't matter then what I call myself; in the view of the leader and teacher, He knows who I am, and it is His view and approval I must seek. When I have his approval, then I can impact the world I have been placed in. I note that I am not asked to seek the world's approval, but that the world will know that I am a disciple. There are a lot of fruits my life will show, and love is one of them. It is part of the fruit of the Spirit, and it is a fruit that the world has tried to replicate but it cannot fake. Love does not wait to be earned; it just gives. God did it for us, laying down the perfect example, and if indeed I know Him, I must live like Him. The world may not understand precepts, but it will respond to love, as shown by people who are truly followers of Love Himself. God's time of favour is here.
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